EDUCATION

Academies

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the process is for closing down (a) a free school and (b) an academy.

Edward Timpson: A free school is legally an academy. The Secretary of State for Education's powers to intervene in an academy or a free school are specified in the funding agreement between the Secretary of State and the academy trust. Free school and academy funding agreements are published on the Department for Education's website as a matter of course once the school has opened.

Free Schools

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what powers his Department has to direct that a free school be closed;
	(2)  what powers his Department has to direct that the management of a failing free school be removed or replaced;
	(3)  what length of time a failing free school is given to improve before it will be (a) forced to close and (b) taken over by new leadership.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is responsible for ensuring that underperforming free schools and academies take steps to raise standards, and will not tolerate failure.
	In extreme cases the Secretary of State for Education can intervene to enforce a change in leadership or force the school to close. Before intervening in an underperforming free school or academy, the Secretary of State will assess whether the Trust is taking, or has the necessary capacity to take, the appropriate action to improve standards.
	The Secretary of State's powers to intervene are specified in the funding agreement between the Secretary of State and the Academy Trust.
	Free school and academy funding agreements are published on the Department for
	Education's website once the school has opened.

Free Schools

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will create a framework for the monitoring visits carried out by his Department that free schools undergo in their first year of operation; and who is accountable for acting on required improvements.

Edward Timpson: A framework for monitoring open free schools' education performance is already in place.
	All free schools receive a visit from an Education Adviser in their first term to assess progress since opening, with follow up monitoring in terms two and three where required. The Education Advisers report back any issues to the Department.
	Where Education Advisers have identified any problems, these have been raised with the relevant school's Trust. Follow-up visits are then conducted to give assurance that these have been resolved.

Mass Media

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on media monitoring in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Elizabeth Truss: In 2012-13 the Department spent £131,042 on media monitoring.
	For comparison, a previous parliamentary question, answered on 6 November 2008, Official Report, column 758W, revealed that £240,000 was spent by the Department on media monitoring in 2008-09.

Special Educational Needs: Hearing Impairment

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many Ofsted inspection reports on mainstream schools in the past year have commented on the quality of specialist education support services for deaf children.

David Laws: This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the right hon. Member. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Vocational Education

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to encourage young people to acquire vocational skills at Level 3.

Matthew Hancock: New Tech levels will be high-quality level 3 vocational qualifications which meet new rigorous standards which include endorsement by professional and industry bodies and prepare a young person for entry to a particular occupation. Some Tech levels will confirm occupational competence directly whereas others will provide a route into an advanced or higher apprenticeship or onto an occupational degree or higher education course.
	The Government has also introduced the Technical Baccalaureate (TechBacc) measure which will recognise the highest level of technical training in vocational skills at level 3. The TechBacc measure recognises the achievement of students taking an approved Technical Level qualification, a level 3 maths qualifications and the extended project qualification.
	Both Tech levels and the TechBacc will be introduced for courses beginning in September 2014, for reporting in the 16 to 19 performance tables from 2016.

Vocational Guidance

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to ensure the quality, independence and impartiality of careers guidance for young people.

Matthew Hancock: Since September 2012, all schools have been under a duty to secure independent and impartial careers guidance for pupils in years 9 to 11. The duty was extended to years 8 to 13 from September 2013 and an equivalent requirement for 16 to 18-year-old further education students was included in college funding agreements.
	The Government commissioned Ofsted to conduct a thematic review to assess early progress on implementation of the legal duty and this reported on 10 September. The Government responded on the same day, publishing a vision statement for careers inspiration and an action plan outlining how we intend to take forward their recommendations. Both documents are available in the House of Commons Library.

Vocational Guidance

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what consultation his Department has carried out with (a) schools, (b) further education colleges, (c) local authorities and (d) voluntary sector organisations in the development of the revised statutory guidance for schools on their duty to secure independent and impartial careers advice announced by the Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise on 10 September 2013;
	(2)  when his Department plans to publish revised statutory guidance for schools on their duty to secure independent and impartial careers advice announced by the Minister of State for Skills and Enterprise on 10 September 2013.

Matthew Hancock: The Department is discussing with further education colleges, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations before publishing statutory guidance for schools planning careers provision for the 2014/15 academic year.

Young People: Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many employers had provided at least one (a) apprenticeship and (b) job with accredited training for young people aged 16 to 17 years under the Youth Contract in each region by (i) March and (ii) September 2013;
	(2)  how many young people aged 16 to 17 years were engaged into a positive outcome through the Youth Contract in each region by (a) March and (b) September 2013; and how many such people secured (i) an apprenticeship and (ii) a job with accredited training;
	(3)  how much his Department had spent on the Youth Contract for 16 to 17 years olds by 30 September 2013.

Matthew Hancock: For the period from August 2012 to 30 September 2013, the Department for Education has spent £10.4 million on delivering the Youth Contract programme for 16 and 17-year-olds.
	From August 2012 to September 2013, 11,920 young people have enrolled on the Youth Contract programme for 16 and 17-year-olds.
	The following table shows that 4,114 (34.5%) of the young people who enrolled on the Youth Contract programme have subsequently re-engaged into a positive outcome of: full-time education or training funded by the Education Funding Agency; or an apprenticeship or a job with accredited training equivalent to 280 guided learning hours per year (around one day per week); or part-time education funded by the Education Funding Agency of at least seven hours of directed learning per week in each region for August 2012 to September 2013. The table also shows which of these young people have moved into a positive outcome of an apprenticeship or a job with accredited training.
	We do not hold information on the number of employers who have provided an apprenticeship or a job with accredited training for young people through the Youth Contract for 16 and 17-year-olds.
	
		
			  
			  Data from August 2012 to September 2013 
			 Region Overall numbers of young people re-engaged into a positive outcome Numbers of young people re-engaged into a positive outcome of a job with accredited training Numbers of young people re-engaged into a positive outcome of an apprenticeship 
			 East of England 568 1 25 
			 East Midlands 191 1 11 
			 London 220 4 2 
			 North West 489 3 13 
			 North East 598 4 21 
			 South East 775 6 30 
			 South West 332 2 4 
			 West Midlands 397 1 12 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 544 0 4 
			 Total 4,114 22 122

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Council Housing: Rents

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost to each local authority in England of recouping rent arrears owed by council house tenants since 1 April 2013.

Kris Hopkins: The Department does not collect statistics on the cost to local authorities of recouping rent arrears.

Domestic Accidents

Mark Menzies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fatalities there were due to home accidents caused by use or misuse of electrical installations in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Williams: Fatalities caused by the use or misuse of electrical installations in the home can occur in electric shock accidents and electrical fires.
	The Department keeps statistics on deaths in electrical fires by source of ignition. Electrical sources range from fuse boxes/consumer units and fixed mains wiring, to white goods and portable appliances and their leads. The information requested has been tabulated for the financial year periods 2002-03 to 2012-13 and has been deposited with the Library of the House.
	Information about electric shock fatalities is kept by the Office for National Statistics. The Department analysed data for the years up to 2010 as part of its recent review of Part P of the Building Regulations (Electrical safety in dwellings). The analysis can be viewed in the Part P Impact Assessment at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-part-p-electrical-safety-in-dwellings
	More detailed and up-to-date information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The combined figures fluctuate from year to year, so that the trend in recent years is difficult to discern. However, there has been a significant fall since the mid-90s (from around 90 to 55 fatalities a year) due to a range of measures, including: campaigns encouraging householders to fit and test smoke detectors (around 88% of homes now have smoke alarms, up from around 70% in the mid-90s); community fire safety work educating people on the safe use of electrical equipment; improvements in electrical installation and product standards—in particular the use of residual current devices to prevent fatal electric shocks; and bringing electrical installation work in dwellings under the control of Part P of the Building Regulations.

Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department had with the UN Special Rapporteur on Housing, Raquel Rolnik during her visit to the UK in September 2013.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 8 October 2013
	The right hon. Member for Bath (Mr Foster), then the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, had one meeting with the Special Rapporteur. She also met with various departmental officials for a general introduction to a range of departmental issues.
	At the end of her visit, the Special Rapporteur had a very brief meeting with the Secretary of State (by which time her press statement and interim report had been drafted). I note that she did not meet Ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions, who are the lead on welfare reform and the removal of the spare room subsidy.
	Government Ministers expressed concerns about factual inaccuracies in the interim report and press statement and elements of the Special Rapporteur's activity while in the United Kingdom, and we welcome her subsequent acknowledgment that referring to the policy as the “bedroom tax” was inaccurate.
	We understand the final report will be published in March 2014, after which the UK Government will provide an appropriate, formal commentary on its contents.

Housing

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his policy is on tackling low demand housing in unpopular neighbourhoods;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has given to local authorities on low demand housing in unpopular neighbourhoods;
	(3)  whether he intends to issue new guidance to local authorities on responding to low demand housing in unpopular neighbourhoods.

Kris Hopkins: The Government's policy on removing the blight that rundown vacant properties cause is as stated in the written ministerial statement on Empty Homes, issued on 10 May 2013, Official Report, column 13-14WS.

Local Government: Translation Services

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the amount of money spent on translation services by local authorities each year.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement of 12 March 2013, Official Report, column 5WS, which outlines our guidance asking councils to stop translating into foreign languages. Such translation wastes taxpayers' money and undermines community integration.
	That statement noted estimates had suggested that councils previously spent nearly £20 million a year on translation.
	We do not centrally hold more recent figures, but I would encourage the press and public to hold councils to account on any continued spending in this area. To facilitate such scrutiny, armchair auditors may wish to start off by examining councils' spending data over £500 which should be available on every council's website.
	I note the hon. Member is quoted in the Daily Express (19 September 2013) rightly criticising the London borough of Tower Hamlets for its divisive spending on translation into foreign languages.
	But I have taken the opportunity to examine the hon. Member's own (Labour-run) council. Tameside Metropolitan borough council's website boasts:
	“Tame-side Council has access to a bank of Interpreters covering over 140 different languages.”
	http://www.tameside.gov.uk/interpreters
	The council's refuse collection Department even offers:
	“to provide translation and interpretation facilities”
	with its bin collections.
	http://www.tameside.gov.uk/servicestandards/refuse
	Stopping this wasteful spending would save taxpayers' money, helping protect frontline services and keep council tax down.

Planning

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department gives local planning authorities on asking people to state their sexual orientation when completing their responses to Joint Core Strategy or Local Plan consultation documents; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: In November 2012 DCLG issued statutory guidance to local authorities stating that in the interests of economy and efficiency, it is not necessary for authorities to undertake lifestyle or diversity questionnaires of suppliers or residents. This was reinforced in ‘50 ways to save: examples of sensible savings in local government’ published in December 2012.
	I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement made on 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 24-5WS, in which I announced the cancellation of the practice guidance ‘Diversity and Equality in Planning’ which was issued by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005.
	The cancellation ended the need to carry out lifestyle and diversity surveys and equality impact assessments. It also removed the need for councils to translate into foreign languages, which undermines integration by discouraging people from learning English.

Private Rented Housing

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions his Department has had on the introduction of a legal requirement for electrical safety checks in the private rented sector.

Kris Hopkins: A meeting was held between the Electrical Safety Council and the then Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Bath (Mr Foster). A number of issues were discussed including landlords' responsibilities under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to keep installations in their property, such as the supply of water, gas and electricity in good repair and proper working order. We recently published a draft Tenants' Charter as part of a wider package of measures to help tenants. The charter sets out what tenants can expect when renting a property and makes clear that landlords have a duty to keep electrical installations in proper working order and ensure any electrical equipment supplied with the property is safe.

Private Rented Housing

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to ensure that landlords fulfil their legal obligation to provide a safe electrical installation and appliances to tenants.

Kris Hopkins: Landlords are under a duty to ensure that electrical installations are safe and in good repair. They are also responsible for ensuring that electrical appliances provided by them are kept in a safe condition where the property has been licensed by the local authority. The Department has-published guidance for landlords which recommends that they have electrical installations and equipment regularly checked. Tenants who are concerned that their landlord is not maintaining the safety of their home can complain to their local authority who have extensive powers to investigate hazards and can take action if serious hazards are detected, including requiring the owner to remedy the defect or prohibiting use of the property. We recently announced a review to ensure that rented properties are safe and healthy. We also published a draft Tenants' Charter which sets out what tenants can expect when renting a property.

Private Rented Housing

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will review the standard of housing provided by the private rented sector in England and whether it meets the decent homes standard.

Kris Hopkins: The private rented sector is a major part of our housing market, with 3.8 million households in England living in the sector. Over 83% of tenants in the sector are satisfied with the quality of their accommodation. We recently announced a package of further measures to help millions of hard-working tenants get a better deal when they rent a home. They include a review to ensure there is a robust system in place to check that tenants' homes are safe with appropriate standards of hygiene and sanitation. In addition, it will consider the current process for tenants to raise concerns about the condition of their home, look at how councils inspect properties and how they can demand landlords carry out maintenance, including taking action against landlords who continue to rent out dangerous and unacceptably dirty properties.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects to answer question 169265, tabled by the right hon. Member for Leeds Central on 11 September 2013 for answer on 8 October 2013.

Kris Hopkins: holding answer 6 November 2013
	Parliamentary question 169265 has been answered today.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Climate Change

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much the UK has contributed to the UN Green Climate Fund; whether she has conducted an analysis of the value of the fund to the public purse; and what assessment she has made of the potential for the fund to achieve its aims of combating climate change globally.

Lynne Featherstone: The UK has contributed £500,000 to the administrative budget of the Green Climate Fund to support the design of the fund. The fund is still in the design phase but the Government is working to ensure it is set up to offer good value for money and will achieve its objective of addressing climate change. The Government will make an assessment of the value for money of the Green Climate Fund relative to alternatives and its potential to achieve its objectives once the main design elements have been agreed.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will attend the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health between 10 and 13 November 2013.

Justine Greening: Senior officials from the Department will attend the Global Forum on Human Resources for Health.

English Language

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many of her Department's staff do not speak English as their first language.

Justine Greening: In line with other Government Departments, DFID does not collect data on first languages spoken by staff.

Languages

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what courses her Department provides to staff for learning a second language other than English.

Justine Greening: DFID staff can access government-wide learning options.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Commonwealth

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Commonwealth countries about gay rights.

David Lidington: We are committed to working with the Commonwealth and its partners to help them uphold values of human rights, rule of law, democracy and development. We raise human rights issues, including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights, with the Commonwealth Secretariat and with member states. We seek to increase debate on these issues, including on sexual orientation or gender identity, within and among Commonwealth countries.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has regular discussions with his Commonwealth counterparts on a wide range of human rights issues. Most recently, the Secretary of State raised this issue with the Foreign Minister of Uganda in the margins of the Somalia Conference on 7 May 2013. The Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), discussed LGBT rights during her visit to Uganda on 24 October 2013.
	As another example, we regularly raise our concerns about the criminalisation of homosexuality, the treatment of the LGBT community and threats against human rights defenders with the Cameroon Government. The Secretary of State discussed these issues with Cameroon's Minister for External Relations on 2 September 2013.

Middle East

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the US Secretary of State concerning the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Hugh Robertson: We remain in constant contact with the US Administration about the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, at both ministerial and official level. As I made clear during my recent visit to the region, Britain strongly supports the efforts being made by Secretary Kerry to achieve peace.

Russia

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department is giving to the British citizens involved in the recent Greenpeace protest on Arctic oil drilling and held in Russia as a consequence.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has pressed from the outset for consular visits and for lawyers, provided by Greenpeace, to have access to the six British nationals. Consular staff have regularly visited the six British nationals, most recently on 6 and 7 November. Their welfare is our priority. Detainees have raised a number of issues and we have worked with the relevant authorities to help address these, including securing phone calls home, prison comforts such as more blankets, and providing reading material. We also pressed for all those detained to be held in the same detention centre. We continue to stand ready to raise concerns they might have with the Russian authorities. We are also in regular contact with families in the UK.

Russia

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last discussed with his Russian counterpart the situation of the six British citizens arrested after taking part in a Greenpeace protest in the Russian Federation on 18 September 2013; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Prime Minister raised this case with President Putin on 5 November and raised the need for prompt, fair and proportionate action by the Russian judicial system. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed this case with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on 4 November. I also raised this case with the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom on 7 November.

Sri Lanka

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to raise awareness of and protect the human rights of (a) Prageeth Eknaligoda, who has been missing in Sri Lanka since January 2010 and (b) other overseas journalists and political prisoners.

Hugo Swire: Our high commissioner in Colombo regularly raises concerns around media freedom and specific cases with the Sri Lankan Government. We remain very concerned about attacks on and intimidation of journalists. We look to the Sri Lankan Government to implement the recommendations contained in the March Human Rights Council resolution and comply with their obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law, which include the protection of the safety of journalists. We have urged the Sri Lankan Government to investigate the disappearance and location of Lanka E News journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

Syria

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he has taken to apply pressure on the international community to fulfil pledges of humanitarian assistance to Syria and neighbouring countries.

Hugh Robertson: The UK is calling on the international community to commit more funding urgently to reduce the shortfall in the UN humanitarian appeals for Syria and its neighbours in order to share the burden. Following successful UK lobbying at the G20 and the UN General Assembly, $1 billion in new funding has been pledged by the international community.
	We regularly use our many diplomatic engagements to call on other nations, and international institutions, to give more to alleviate the awful suffering in Syria.

Syria

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Development on what proportion of pledged humanitarian assistance has so far been made to neighbouring countries to Syria.

Hugh Robertson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) work extremely closely in our efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people. The two Departments are in regular contact at every level, including at ministerial level, to ensure the UK can unblock the delivery of pledged aid.
	The UK has pledged £500 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syria crisis. Of this, £167 million is for Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. Thus far, £255 million of the total £500 million UK humanitarian aid has already been allocated to organisations responding to the crisis. £105 million of the regional aid has been allocated.
	Both Departments are committed to making sure humanitarian assistance gets to those who need it, which is why I recently met Baroness Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, to discuss the situation in Syria.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Arrest Warrants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations she has received (a) in favour of and (b) not in favour of opting in to use of the European Arrest Warrant; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: holding answer 4 November 2013
	The Home Office does not hold records centrally on the number of representations made in favour of opting in to the European Arrest Warrant. In addition, records are not held centrally on the number of representations made which are not in favour of opting in to the European Arrest Warrant.
	The Government sought and listened carefully to the views of law enforcement agencies before the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead’s (Mrs May) announcement on 9 July 2013. This included senior representatives from the Security Service, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Metropolitan police, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office and the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Government also listened carefully to the views of other member states and the devolved Administrations.

Borders: Personal Records

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking with the Northern Ireland Executive to address the failings identified by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in relation to the e-borders scheme.

Mark Harper: While we have not engaged with the Northern Ireland Executive on these issues, Border Force is working with carriers and partners across Government to address the issues raised by the chief inspector of Borders and Immigration in his recent report. If we identify a future business need to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive, we will take this forward.

Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what fire safety arrangements were in place at Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre at the time of the fire on 18 October 2013; whether working sprinklers were in place; and whether a roll call of detainees and employees was held after evacuation of the building.

Mark Harper: Home Office Immigration Enforcement takes the welfare of detainees extremely seriously and complies with all relevant fire safety legislation.
	Campsfield House has a full evacuation plan in the event of a fire or other major incident. This includes the requirement for a roll call of detainees and employees immediately following evacuation. I can confirm this was undertaken following the fire on 18 October. Fire drills are carried out at regular intervals.
	Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre does not have a sprinkler system.

Entry Clearances

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many administrative reviews have been (a) requested and (b) completed following a refusal of an application made outside the UK for a visa to enter the UK for each of the last five years for which information is available.

Mark Harper: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Administrative Review Received Administrative Review Completed 
			 2009-10 1,435 157 
			 2010-11 13,654 14,432 
			 2011-12 9,241 9,562 
			 2012-13 5,736 5,693 
			 Grand total 30,069 29,847 
		
	
	The figures relate to main applicants and dependants. Because applicants have 28 days to lodge an Administrative Review (AR) request, and the AR is considered within 28 days of being lodged, the numbers of ARs resolved in a particular year will not match the numbers of ARs received in a particular year.

Illegal Immigrants

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps she is taking to reduce numbers of illegal immigrants.

Mark Harper: Over the last three years we have reformed all major routes of entry to the UK for non-EEA migrants. We have also radically extended the use of visa interviews to separate out the genuine applicants from those trying to abuse the system and are on target to meet our goal of 100,000 interviews by April 2014, starting with the highest risk countries.
	At the border we are investing in new technology and resources to improve our response to attempts to enter the UK illegally. We have abolished the UK Border Agency and replaced it with two new operational commands sitting within the Home Office and reporting to Ministers. Of these, Immigration Enforcement has law enforcement at its heart and is focused on getting tough on those who break our immigration laws.
	The coalition programme for Government included a commitment to reintroduce exit checks and we will do this by 2015. This will improve our ability to identify those who have failed to comply with conditions of their leave to enter or remain in the UK.
	We are also taking action in the Immigration Bill to make it increasingly difficult for illegal migrants to remain in the UK, including by denying access to private rented accommodation, financial services and driving licences. We are strengthening the enforcement of unpaid civil penalties owed by employers of illegal migrant workers. We will also make further changes to the civil penalties regulations in 2014 to double the maximum penalty to £20,000 for employing an illegal worker.
	The Immigration Bill also includes power to remove illegal migrants without the. need for a separate immigration decision, as well as speeding up and simplifying the appeal process reducing the categories under which they can appeal from 17 to four. The Bill also takes action to end the abuse of European Convention on Human Rights Article 8 (the right to respect for private and family life). It sets out clearly what the public interest requires and ensures that courts considering Article 8 in immigration cases will give proper weight to Parliament's view of the public interest.

Immigration

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many text messages have been sent by Capita on behalf of the UK Border Agency informing individuals of termination of their right to remain in the UK since May 2010.

Mark Harper: Capita are contracted to contact migrants who may still be illegally in the UK. They do so through a variety of methods. Text messages are one of those methods. The messages do not have the effect of terminating the right to remain in the UK. They are sent to individuals whose right to remain, according to our records, has already expired. Notification of refusal or curtailment of leave will already have been sent by the Home Office by post, prior to individuals being referred to Capita. By the end of Quarter 2 2013, Capita had sent 25,180 such text messages.

Immigration Controls

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many enquiries were received by the Employer Checking Service in each month in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: The following figures show the number of Employer Checking Service check requests received each month for the last three years. The figures quoted are not National Statistics but are based on local management information.
	
		
			  2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 January — 3,759 3,792 6,732 
			 February — 4,003 4,098 5,993 
			 March — 3,443 3,737 4,756 
			 April — 3,226 3,683 5,044 
			 May — 3,191 4,313 4,737 
			 June — 3,716 3,739 4,303 
			 July — 3,016 4,376 4,735 
			 August — 2,762 4,471 4,319 
			 September — 3,519 4,240 4,353 
			 October — 3,130 5,675 5,154 
			 November 3,965 3,178 5,357 — 
			 December 2,282 2,462 3,824 — 
			 Total 6,247 39,405 51,305 50,126

Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been removed from the United Kingdom following enforcement action under sections 15 to 25 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 since May 2010.

Mark Harper: holding answer 22 October 2013
	Details of the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Eastern Europe

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking in preparation for the relaxation of transitional controls on migration from Romania and Bulgaria in 2014.

Mark Harper: We want to ensure that those who come to the UK from the EU or further afield, including Romanian and Bulgarian citizens, do so for the right reasons - to contribute to our country.
	We are focusing on work across Government to tackle abuse of free movement and address pull factors, such as access to benefits and public services.
	We have consistently raised the problem of the abuse of free movement at meetings of the Council of Ministers, and we are working with other European member states to curb that abuse.
	We regularly review the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 which transpose the Free Movement Directive (2004/38/EC) into UK law and we will make further amendments to these regulations, when necessary, in order to prevent abuse.

Immigration: Married People

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department following the High Court judgment of 5 July 2013 on the minimum income threshold for spouses or partners and children applying in the family route, (a) how many applications made under Appendix FM to the Immigration Rules have been subject to the hold on decision-making and (b) how many such applications have been received by visa application centres outside the UK.

Mark Harper: The Home Office is collating internal management information on the number of applications put on hold overseas and in country following the 5 July 2013 High Court judgment in MM and Others. This information will be published on the Home Office immigration website as soon as possible and then on a quarterly basis.

Knives: Liverpool

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences involving a knife have been committed in (a) Liverpool, Walton constituency and (b) Liverpool city region in each of the last three years.

Damian Green: Data for selected offences involving the use of a knife or sharp instrument are collected by the Home Office at police force area level only, so data are not available for Liverpool, Walton constituency or Liverpool city region. Data for these selected offences are provided for Merseyside police force in the table.
	The offences covered are attempted murder, grievous bodily harm (GBH) and actual bodily harm (ABH), robbery, threats to kill, sexual assault and rape. Homicide figures in the table are taken from the Homicide Index. Figures for 2012-13 for knife and sharp instrument homicides are due to be published by the Office for National Statistics in February 2014.
	
		
			 Knife and sharp instrument offences recorded by the police for selected offences in Merseyside(1) 
			 Number 
			  Total selected offences(2) Homicide(3) Total selected offences including homicide 
			 2010-11 587 7 594 
			 2011-12 599 11 610 
			 2012-13 576 (4)— (4)— 
			 (1) Police recorded knife and sharp instrument offences data are submitted via an additional special collection. Other offences exist that are not shown in this table that may include the use of a knife or sharp instrument. (2) Selected offences covered are attempted murder, grievous bodily harm (GBH) and actual bodily harm (ABH), robbery, threats to kill, sexual assault and rape. (3) Homicide offences are those currently recorded by the police as at 30 June 2013 and are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. Figures for 2012-13 for knife and sharp instrument homicides are due to be published by the Office for National Statistics in February 2014. (4) Data are not available.

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes there were in England and Wales in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not collate figures centrally on the number of Neighbourhood Watch schemes. However, the ‘Focus on Public Perceptions of Policing, Findings from the 2011/12 Crime Survey for England and Wales’ statistical bulletin suggests that one in seven households surveyed are currently members of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

Passports: Older People

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people aged 75 or over have applied (a) for a new passport and (b) to renew their passport in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many people at the minimum qualifying age and over have applied (i) for a new and (ii) for the renewal of a passport in each of the last five years.

Mark Harper: The latest figures available from Her Majesty's Passport Office are for the calendar year 2012. In respect of (a) 3,153 new passports were issued; and (b) 157,917 passports were renewed for people aged 75 or over. On the second part of the question, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 28 October 2013, Official Report, column 344W.

Pavlo Lapshyn

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will deport Pavlo Lapshyn to serve the remainder of his prison sentence in Ukraine.

Mark Harper: The Home Office can not comment on individual cases,

Police and Crime Commissioners

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the powers available of Police and Crime Panels when considering complaints made against Police and Crime Commissioners; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government believes Police and Crime Panels have the appropriate powers, agreed by Parliament, to effectively scrutinise the actions and decisions of Police and Crime Commissioners.

UK Border Agency

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters from hon. Members to the UK Border Agency's MPs' Liaison Unit were responded to (a) within 20 working days and (b) after 20 working days in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: Results for MPs' letters sent to the UK Border Agency's MPs' Liaison Unit over the last three years can be found at the following links:
	In 2010:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110328/wmstext/110328m0001.htm#1103283000002
	In 2011:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120315/wmstext/120315m0001.htm#12031546000013
	In 2012:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130513/wmstext/130513m0001.htm
	The total received figures and percentage of response figures have been provided to, and published by, Cabinet Office as above.

UK Membership of EU

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make an assessment of the costs and benefits of a decision for the UK to leave the EU in her Department's area of responsibility; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East (Emma Reynolds) on 29 January 2013, Official Report, column 709W. The Department has not made any plans for the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what purpose and on how many occasions in each of the last five years the UK Border Agency has used drones. [R]

Mark Harper: The UK Border Agency has been split into three separate operational units within the Home Office. The units are UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force.
	UK Visas and Immigration, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force have not used remotely piloted or unmanned aircraft systems, colloquially referred to as drones, for any purpose or on any occasion in the last five years.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many badgers have been killed to date under his Department's cull programme; how that figure compares to the Department’s targets and forecasts; and who is responsible for determining the criteria against which the effectiveness of the culls will be judged.

George Eustice: I would like to refer the right hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 9 October 2013, Official Report, column 22-24WS. Detailed operational information will not be published during the pilots. A full report will be published at the end of the pilot culls.

Bovine Tuberculosis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the legal basis is for his Department's decision to extend the badger cull beyond its original deadline.

George Eustice: Licences to extend the badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire were issued by Natural England under section 10(2)(a) of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.

Common Agricultural Policy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will take steps to ensure that specific funds are directed to the uplands in the reformed CAP.

George Eustice: The Department has recently launched a consultation on the implementation of the reformed CAP. One option outlined is an increase in the proportion of direct payments directed to the uplands. The consultation will run until 28 November.

Common Agricultural Policy

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will take steps to ensure that CAP funding is restricted to those who are active farmers.

George Eustice: From 2015 direct payments to farmers will be made in accordance with the new European regulation. This requires that claimants must, among other things, have agricultural land at their disposal during the scheme year. They will also have to satisfy an ‘active farmer test’.
	That test is set out in the direct payment regulation. It excludes those farmers whose land is mainly ‘naturally kept’ unless they carry out a minimum agricultural activity on the land, and those farmers who operate certain non-farming activities unless they satisfy additional requirements about the significance of their agricultural activities.
	DEFRA has launched a consultation on the implementation of the reform of the CAP. Among the questions asked is whether respondents support a preferred option not to extend this list of “negative activities” forming part of the active farmer test. The consultation closes on 28 November.
	Although CAP funds for Rural Development are likely to go mainly to farmers, other rural businesses are also eligible for support.

Disease Control

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the UK economy of biosecurity incidents in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

George Eustice: No estimate has been made of the annual cost to the UK economy of biosecurity incidents.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it the policy of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) to publish revocations without immediate effect on the GLA online register.

George Eustice: The GLA is considering changes to its public register following the outcome of the Red Tape Challenge review. The GLA's Board has had an initial discussion of the pros and cons of publishing information on licenses which have been revoked without immediate effect and that are open to appeal. It will consider the matter further at a future meeting, but at present there are no firm proposals to change the current practice.

Incinerators

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on proposed incinerators following the findings of the DEFRA report, Forecasting 2020 Waste Arisings and Treatment Capacity, published in October 2013.

Dan Rogerson: The ‘Forecasting 2020 Waste Arisings and Treatment Capacity’ report was commissioned following Norfolk county council's breach of the terms and conditions set out in DEFRA's letter of 7 February 2012 under which the funding was originally agreed. On 18 October DEFRA informed Norfolk county council of the outcome of that review and also confirmed that there would be no impact on those waste PFI projects that had already completed their procurements, provided they continued to meet the terms and conditions under which funding was agreed.

Meat: Labelling

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make a statement regarding the proposed removal of the Union Flag from meat packaged in the UK.

George Eustice: There is no proposal to remove the Union Flag from meat packaged in the UK. In September the European Commission shared with the UK and other member states an internal draft of its proposed implementing rules for mandatory country of origin labelling for fresh and frozen meat. This appeared to make no provision for voluntary forms of expression of origin, such as flags, beyond the name of the member state. The European Commission has since given public assurances that it was not its intention to interfere in the use of such symbols indicating origin and that this would be clarified in the draft implementing rules when they are published.

Personal Injury: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 56W, on Personal Injury Insurance, 
	(1)  how many employment agencies the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has identified which charge workers earning the national minimum wage for insurance cover by (a) direct debit and (b) payroll deduction; and how many such employment agencies have had their GLA licence revoked for charging by (i) direct debit and (ii) payroll deduction;
	(2)  how many employment agencies the Gangmasters Licensing Authority is investigating for charging workers earning the national minimum wage for insurance cover;
	(3)  how many instances of compliance action have been taken against employment agencies in the regulated sectors charging workers for personal accident insurance cover where this would take a worker's pay below the level of the national minimum wage since 2010.

George Eustice: The GLA are currently investigating three employment businesses where workers are being charged through payroll deduction for personal injury insurance which may take their pay below the minimum wage level. The GLA has investigated insurance schemes before but compliance action was not appropriate since the charge did not reduce pay below the minimum wage.

Personal Injury: Insurance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2013, Official Report, column 56W, on personal injury: insurance, that following the decision of the Court of Appeal in the Revenue and Customers Commissioners v Leisure Employment Services (LES) [2007] ICR 1056 case, whether it is the policy of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority that payments for insurance cover made by both direct debit and payroll deduction stand to be deducted for national minimum wage purposes.

George Eustice: The GLA's Licensing Standards require that any insurance cover, whether taken by payroll deduction or direct debit, does not result in the worker's pay falling below the minimum wage.

HEALTH

Blood: Contamination

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made to provide a fully comprehensive and universal compensation scheme to the victims of tainted blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.

Jane Ellison: In January 2011 this Government announced a package of measures to provide additional support for those infected with HIV and hepatitis C through treatment with national health service-supplied blood or blood products. However, we recognise that there continue to be concerns about the current system.

Breastfeeding

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the levels of (a) DDT and (b) PCBs in human breast milk in each year for which data is available.

Jane Ellison: The Department has not made any routine measurements of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) or polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs in human breast milk. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) considered a study with measurements of chemicals in breast milk including PCBs and DDT in 2004(1).
	The COT(2 )also recently considered the issue of environmental contaminants in relation to the infant diet and found that several studies have reported a decline over time in the concentrations of dioxin-like compounds(3) in human milk. Given the decreasing occurrence of dioxin-like chemicals in breast milk and lower dietary exposures from infant formula and weaning foods, the COT concluded that there is no need to change current advice on breast-feeding or infant feeding in order to protect against these chemicals. The COT also concluded that in relation to legacy pesticides, including DDT, that levels in breast milk are generally declining, and do not indicate a concern for health.
	(1) http://cot.food.gov.uk/pdfs/cotsuremilk.pdf
	(2) http://cot.food.gov.uk/pdfs/cotstatementoverarch201203.pdf
	(3 )Dioxin-like compounds include certain PCBs.

Health Professions: Merseyside

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors were working in hospitals in Merseyside in each month since May 2010.

Daniel Poulter: Information on the numbers of doctors and qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff for NHS trusts within Merseyside between May 2010 and the latest available date, July 2013, has been placed in the Library.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-UK residents were treated by the NHS in 2012-13.

Jane Ellison: The Department does not hold this information. Although the Health and Social Care Information Centre collects hospital episode statistics these do not contain information about the patient's residency, nationality or migration status.
	However, in recently published research commissioned by the Department it was estimated that on average there are 2.5 million visitors and migrants in England at any point in time. The cost of treating all visitors and migrants is estimated to be around £2 billion per year.

Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was received by the NHS from each European country participating in the EHIC scheme in 2012-13; and how much is outstanding from each such nation.

Jane Ellison: Payments made to the United Kingdom by other member states in a given year normally relate to treatment provided in several years. The Department's accounts are therefore calculated, in accordance with HM Treasury resource accounting rules, on the basis of costs incurred, and the total cash payments received in a given year. The total cash payments received are not disaggregated into EHIC, pensioner and other categories. So we cannot readily identify how much is outstanding for use of EHIC in 2012-13. Member states are required to settle all claims within 36 months.
	Costs incurred for treatment by temporary visitors from other European Economic Area countries who received treatment from the national health service in 2012-13 are in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Austria 62,048 
			 Belgium 3,510,758 
		
	
	
		
			 Bulgaria 310,280 
			 Croatia 0 
			 Cyprus 81,381 
			 Czech Republic 71,038 
			 Denmark(1) 0 
			 Estonia(1) 0 
			 Finland 0 
			 France 5,025,780 
			 Germany 521,724 
			 Greece 52,652 
			 Hungary(1) 0 
			 Iceland 10,267 
			 Ireland 10,468,079 
			 Italy 667,651 
			 Latvia 72,197 
			 Liechtenstein 0 
			 Lithuania 0 
			 Luxembourg 5,471 
			 Malta(1) 0 
			 Netherlands 1,599,837 
			 Norway(1) 0 
			 Poland 782,812 
			 Portugal 635,310 
			 Romania 238,649 
			 Slovakia 54,808 
			 Slovenia 75,600 
			 Spain 3,052,988 
			 Sweden 1,010,610 
			 Switzerland 104,345 
			 Total 28,414,283 
			 (1 )Waiver: If two member states decide that the amount of health care provided to each other's citizens is very small and broadly comparable, they can decide to waive claims to each other.

In Vitro Fertilisation

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of regional variations in the funding by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) of IVF treatment for couples with fertility problems; and if he will issue revised guidance to CCGs aimed at minimising such variations.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that it expects that all those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services to be fully aware of the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines. In February 2013, NHS England issued a factsheet to support clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in taking on those responsibilities. This makes reference to the updated NICE clinical guidance and is available on its website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/fertility-facts.pdf
	The level of provision of infertility treatment is decided by the local CCG and, as for all health services that CCGs commission, each will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCGs’ decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health care needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs.

Motor Neurone Disease

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's total spending on research programmes for motor neurone disease is (a) for the duration of the current Parliament and (b) in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15.

Daniel Poulter: Total spend in the current and future financial years by the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on research on motor neurone disease depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including motor neurone disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and the NHS, value for money and scientific quality.
	Expenditure by the NIHR on motor neurone disease research through research programmes, and through research centres and units, and clinical research facilities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Programmes 79,900 284,407 467,196 
			 Centres, units and clinical research facilities 44,591 89,711 249,303 
			 Total 124,491 374,118 716,499 
		
	
	Total spend by the NIHR on motor neurone disease research is higher than this because expenditure by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) oh this topic cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.
	A NIHR doctoral research fellowship on telehealth in motor neurone disease is expected to start in January 2014.

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what appointment procedure and external scrutiny took place when the Senior Responsible Officer, PCT Estate Programme, at his Department became a non-executive director of NHS Property Services; and what salary he receives.

Daniel Poulter: The Senior Responsible Officer for the PCT Estates Programme is not a member of the Board of NHS Property Services Limited.

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 598W, on NHS Property Services, for what reasons his answer of 31 October 2013 differs from his earlier answer of 16 October 2013, which stated that NHS PS, at the instruction of the Department used cash allocated to it for capital purposes to provide short-term financing for its revenue expenditure.

Daniel Poulter: In the answer of 16 October 2013, Official Report, columns 764-66W, I stated that NHS Property Services Limited had, at the instruction of the Department, used cash allocated to it for capital purposes to provide short-term financing for its revenue expenditure.
	In the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 598W, I stated that at no time has NHS Property Services Limited used capital allocation for revenue purposes. Both statements are true. The cash in the bank accounts of NHS Property Services Limited being held to fund capital expenditure was made available to fund the company's revenue budget as a short term financing measure. However, in the event none of this money was used to make payments as the company's revenue balances recovered because invoices issued to national health service occupants were paid.

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2013, Official Report, column 594W, on NHS Property Services, for what reasons the sexual health organisation Metrosexual Health Limited was employed by NHS Property Services to support job banding and evaluation.

Daniel Poulter: NHS Property Services Limited identified a requirement for job evaluation and banding advice to ensure that its recruitment and Human Resources (HR) processes meet the standards required, consistent with other national health service appointments across the country.
	The value of the tender estimated at £5,000 meant that it was below the threshold which requires contract notices to be placed in the Official Journal of the European Community OJEU. Three formal quotes were obtained from suppliers, and Metrosexual Health Limited (MSH) were appointed on the basis of the relative merits of their bid. As well as being a Sexual Health company, MSH offers a range of HR services. Bids were assessed against the following criteria:
	Ability;
	Capability of a quick turnaround of work; and
	Cost.

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 594W, on NHS Property Services, how many of the current or former non-executive directors of NHS Property Services (a) have worked and (b) currently work for his Department.

Daniel Poulter: None of the current or former non-executive directors of NHS Property Services Limited have worked, or currently work for the Department, apart from the Shareholder Representative.

NHS Property Services

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2013, Official Report, column 594W, on NHS Property Services, what information requested in the answer is commercially sensitive; what guidance he has received on the commercial sensitivity of the requested information; what guidance he received that the information was, in part, not commercially sensitive; and if he will place a copy of any such guidance in the Library.

Daniel Poulter: After discussions with NHS Property Services Ltd officials advised me as to which elements of the requested information were likely to be commercially sensitive. There is no formal guidance and judgments were made based on their experience and understanding of the industry, and the detail of the specific transactions.

NHS: Redundancy Pay

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of NHS staff redundancy payments was in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The cost of national health service staff redundancy payments in each of the last three years is set out in the following table. The figures for 2008-09 and 2009-10 were collected on a different basis and are not comparable.
	
		
			 Cost of NHS staff redundancy payments(1,2) 
			 £000 
			  Cost of compulsory redundancies Cost of other departures agreed Total cost 
			 2012-13 265,379 164,323 429,702 
			 2011-12 150,577 166,813 317,390 
			 2010-11 118,344 178,121 296,465 
			 (1) The figures provided include strategic health authorities, primary care trusts, NHS trusts and foundation trusts. For 2010-11 to 2012-13 HM Treasury Financial Reporting Manual required bodies to disclose data on “exit packages”, excluding ill-health early retirements, in their statutory accounts. Exit packages include compulsory redundancies and other departures. Other departures include early retirements (excluding ill-health) and voluntary redundancies. It is not possible to identify separately the value of either of these costs from the data collected; therefore, an overall figure purely for redundancies is not available. (2) From 2010-11 onwards figures reported in the accounts represent the total resource cost of exit packages agreed during the financial year (i.e. between 1 April and 31 March). The expense associated with these departures may have been recognised in part or in full in a previous period.

NHS: Redundancy Pay

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees of NHS trusts who received a contractual redundancy payment have subsequently been employed by (a) the same NHS trust or (b) a different NHS trust within 12 months in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not hold this information in the format requested.

Shingles: Vaccination

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential value of shingles vaccinations for people aged between 70 and 79 years.

Jane Ellison: The Department is advised on matters concerning vaccination and immunisation by the independent committee, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI reviewed the medical, epidemiological, and economic evidence as well as vaccine safety and efficacy data relevant to a herpes zoster (shingles) vaccination programme and recommended that a universal herpes zoster vaccination programme for adults aged 70, up to and including 79 years, be introduced, provided that a licensed vaccine was available at a cost-effective price.
	Around 30,000 people in their 70s in England and Wales are affected by shingles each year. One in 1,000 people over 70 who get shingles dies of the infection. Reducing the number affected by shingles will not only save lives but also reduce the pressure on general practitioners and hospitals and reduce the pain suffered by the patient.

Transplant Surgery

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to create seamless care pathways for (a) bone marrow and (b) other transplant recipients.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has commissioning responsibility for bone marrow transplantation, heart and lung, liver, pancreas, small bowel and kidney transplantation. NHS England is committed to commissioning evidence based care and treatments that can demonstrate improved outcomes for patients.
	NHS England has developed a number of service specifications to support its work around transplantation and to ensure the equitable and consistent commissioning of specialised care.

JUSTICE

Driving under Influence: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many individuals resident in the Barrow and Furness constituency were convicted for (a) drink-driving and (b) driving under the influence of drugs in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The number of offenders found guilty for drink driving and driving under the influence of drugs, at all courts in the Cumbria police force area, from 2008 to 2012 (the latest available), can be viewed in the table.
	The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not all the specific circumstances of each case. This centrally held information does not include details of the residential address of defendants. Please also be aware that it is possible for a defendant to have their case heard anywhere in England and Wales, and not necessarily in a court close by where they reside.
	Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by parliamentary constituency or local authority area, thus data are given in the table for the Cumbria police force area in which the Barrow and Furness constituency is situated.
	
		
			 Offenders found guilty at all courts for drink driving and driving under the influence of drugs, in Cumbria police force area, 2008-12(1, 2) 
			 Statute  Offence description 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 added by Road Traffic Act 1991 and amended by Criminal Justice Act 2003 S.3A Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs 0 0 1 0 1 
		
	
	
		
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.4(1) Driving or attempting to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs (Only to be used where it is unclear whether it is drink or drugs) 16 14 16 14 9 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.4(1) Driving or attempting to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs—Drink 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.4(1) Driving or attempting to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs—Drugs 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.4 (2) Being in charge of mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs—Drink 0 0 1 2 1 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.4(2) Being in charge of mechanically propelled vehicle whilst unfit to drive through drink or drugs—Drugs 0 1 1 1 1 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.5(1)(a) Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, blood or urine alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit 610 550 459 420 462 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.5(1)(b) In charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, blood or urine alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit 10 5 7 12 12 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.6(6) Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test 2 0 1 1 0 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.7(6) Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle and failing to without a reasonable excuse provide a specimen for a laboratory test or 2 specimens for analysis of breath 47 40 3 2 23 
			 Road Traffic Act 1988 S.7(6) In charge of a motor vehicle and falling without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath 5 4 1 1 0 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account than those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for employment and support allowance were brought forward to (a) appeal stage and (b) commissioner since May 2010; and how many such claims were successful.

Shailesh Vara: The First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals in England, Scotland and Wales, against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits, including employment and support allowance (ESA).
	Appeals against decisions of the First-tier Tribunal—SSCS are heard by the Administrative Appeals Chamber of the Upper Tribunal, subject to permission to appeal being granted by either the First-tier Tribunal or the Upper Tribunal.
	(a) Information on appeals against ESA decisions is published by HMCTS in Tribunal statistics quarterly. The most recent report for the period April to June 2013, which includes volumes of appeals received and disposed of, and the outcomes of these since 2009-10, can be viewed at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tribunal-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2013
	(b) Appeals against decisions of the First-tier Tribunal—SSCS are heard by the Administrative Appeals Chamber of the Upper Tribunal, subject to permission to appeal being granted by either the First-tier Tribunal or the Upper Tribunal.
	The following table shows the number of ESA appeals in which the application for leave to appeal was granted by the First-tier Tribunal, applications for leave to appeal received directly by the Upper Tribunal and the proportion found in favour of the appellant, dismissed or remitted to the First-tier Tribunal for a fresh hearing in 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and April to June 2013 (the latest period for which information is available). The appellant can be either the benefit claimant or DWP and it is not possible to break down these figures to show only those appeals by benefit claimants.
	
		
			 Appeals and applications for leave to appeal to the Upper Tribunal and decisions on ESA appeals April 2010 to June 2013 
			  Appeals and applications received Upper Tribunal decisions 
			  Leave to appeal granted by first-tier tribunal Applications for leave to appeal received directly by Upper Tribunal Allowed Dismissed Remitted 
			 April 2010 to March 2011 41 510 6 29 306 
			 April 2011 to March 2012 54 832 26 42 179 
			 April 2012 to March 2013 91 1451 18 56 341 
			 April 2013 to June 2013 25 460 18 12 119 
			 Total 207 3,213 68 139 745 
			 Notes: 1. The above data are taken from management information. 2. The number of receipts and decisions made does not tally due to the time lag between appeals being received and appeals being determined. 
		
	
	Appeals against decisions made about benefits, including ESA, in Northern Ireland are considered by The Appeals Service, and appeals on points of law from these decisions are considered by the Social Security Commissioners, both of which are administered by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service. The Ministry of Justice does not, therefore, hold the information requested in respect of appeals made to The Appeals Service and the Social Security Commissioners in Northern Ireland.

Probation

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints were recorded against each probation service in England and Wales in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with Essex Probation Service since May 2012; what issues were raised in each such discussion; what steps his Department took as a result of each such discussion; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested could not be obtained within the timescale. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Probation: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many (a) men and (b) women employed by Essex Probation Service have retired in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013 to date;
	(2)  how many (a) men and (b) women in each age group were employed by Essex Probation Service (i) at the latest date for which figures are available and (ii) in 2010;
	(3)  what complaints against Essex Probation were upheld in each year since 2012; what (a) response was made and (b) steps were taken by Essex Probation in each such case; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how much Essex Probation (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on security in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013 to date; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  whether any employees of Essex Probation have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of a criminal offence in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what the salary was of the (a) Chief Executive and (b) Chairman of the Essex Probation Trust in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The information requested is not collected centrally and could not be obtained within the time scale. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

Reoffenders

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders between the ages of 16 and 21 years have reoffended within one year of sentencing in (a) Lancashire and (b) the UK in the last five years;

Jeremy Wright: Reoffending rates remain stubbornly high for 16 to 21-year-olds released from prison and more needs to be done to address this. Table 1 shows the number of offenders aged between 16 and 21 who were released from custody, received a non-custodial conviction at court, or received a caution, reprimand or warning between 2007 and 2011; and the number and proportion that reoffended in (a) Lancashire and (b) England and Wales within a one year follow-up period.
	A proven reoffence is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period resulting in a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up. Following this one year follow-up, a further six month waiting period is allowed for the offence to be proven in court.
	
		
			 Table 1: Proven reoffending data for offenders aged between 16 and 21 who were cautioned(1), convicted(2) or released from custody between 2007 and 2011 
			  Lancashire(3) England and Wales 
			 Cohort Number of offenders in cohort(4) Number of reoffenders Proportion of offenders who commit a reoffence (percentage) Number of offenders in cohort(4) Number of reoffenders Proportion of offenders who commit a reoffence (percentage) 
			 2007 4,798 1,639 34.2 204,883 65,795 32.1 
			 2008 4,390 1,474 33.6 195,059 62,564 32.1 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 4,046 1,424 35.2 182,607 57,756 31.6 
			 2010 3,873 1,370 35.4 163,629 53,157 32.5 
			 2011 3,513 1,218 34.7 147,757 47,349 32.0 
			 (1) Includes reprimands and warnings for juvenile offenders. (2) Excludes immediate custodial sentences. (3) The local authority area is based on the offender's address at the time of their most recent offence. (4) This does not represent all offenders—offenders who are released from custody or commenced a court order are matched to the police national computer and those who cannot be matched are excluded from the offender cohort. 
		
	
	Proven reoffending data for adult and juvenile offenders in England and Wales are published by the Ministry of Justice in the 'Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin' which is available at the following link:
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics

Reoffenders

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders reoffended after release from prison, by region, in each of the last three years.

Jeremy Wright: Proven reoffending data for offenders in England and Wales are published by the Ministry of Justice in the “Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” which is available at the following link:
	www.gov.uk/government/collections/proven-reoffending-statistics
	The following table is a further breakdown of the custody figures that can be found in table 18a of the publication. It shows the number of adult offenders who were released from custody between 2009 and 2011; and the number and proportion that reoffended, by region, within a one year follow-up period.
	
		
			 Adult offenders released from custody 2009-11 by region 
			  2009 2010 2011 
			 Region(1) Number of offenders in cohort(2) Number of reoffenders Proportion of offenders who commit a reoffence (%) Number of offenders in cohort(2) Number of reoffenders Proportion of offenders who commit a reoffence (%) Number of offenders in cohort(2) Number of reoffenders Proportion of offenders who commit a reoffence (%) 
			 East Midlands 5,125 2,274 44.4 4,696 2,165 46.1 4,968 2,244 45.2 
			 East of England 5,335 2,473 46.4 4,546 2,200 48.4 4,780 2,233 46.7 
			 London 11,103 5,033 45.3 9,784 4,388 44.8 10,644 4,552 42.8 
			 North East 2,914 1,603 55.0 2,620 1,489 56.8 2,723 1,540 56.6 
			 North West 9,862 4,597 46.6 8,656 4,146 47.9 9,430 4,394 46.6 
			 South East 6,735 3,179 47.2 6,233 2.916 46.8 6,284 2,859 45.5 
			 South West 4,193 2,016 48.1 3,752 1,868 49.8 3,830 1,896 49.5 
			 Wales 4,137 2,064 49.9 3,746 1,907 50.9 3,778 1,950 51.6 
			 West Midlands 7,484 3,346 44.7 6,227 2,737 44.0 6,523 2,866 43.9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 6,910 3,269 47.3 5,988 2,922 48.8 6,290 2,977 47.3 
			 Unknown region 34 3 8.8 36 2 5.6 63 7 11.1 
			           
			 England and Wales 63,832 29,857 46.8 56,284 26,740 47.5 59,313 27,518 46.4 
			 (1) The region is based on the offender's address at the time of their most recent offence. (2) This does not represent all offenders—offenders who are released from custody are matched to the Police National Computer and those who cannot be matched are excluded from the offender cohort. 
		
	
	A proven reoffence is defined as any offence committed in a one year follow-up period resulting in a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up. Following this one year follow-up, a further six month waiting period is allowed for the offence to be proven in court.

Victim Support

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times he has met with police and crime commissioners to discuss the changes to Victim Support.

Damian Green: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), met with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners on 10 September to discuss a range of issues. I also meet regularly with Police and Crime Commissioners, as Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims.
	The Department publishes quarterly transparency data on meetings between Ministers and all external organisations on the gov.uk website.
	www.gov.uk

Young Offender Institutions

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of young offenders receive family visits.

Jeremy Wright: The Government recognises the importance of young people receiving family visits to support their rehabilitation. Information on the proportion of young offenders that receive family visits is not held centrally. All three sectors of the youth secure estate have a legal requirement to support and promote family contact which includes making arrangements for visits.

TREASURY

Employee Ownership

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse to 1 April 2017 of the Employee Shareholder legislation up to 1 April 2017; how many companies will make use of this legislation by 1 April 2017; and what estimate he has made of the number of employee shareholders by 1 April 2017.

David Gauke: Estimates of the cost of the tax reliefs associated with the employee shareholder status are set out in the table and include the cost of both the IT/NICs and the CGT exceptions.
	
		
			  Total (£ million) 
			 2013-14 0 
			 2014-15 -15 
			 2015-16 -45 
			 2016-17 -75 
		
	
	A breakdown of the cost and background information can be found at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/tiin/emp-shareholder-status.pdf
	It is expected that by 1 April 2017, around 50,000 to 80,000 individuals a year may benefit from the employee shareholder status.
	The current estimate of take-up of the employee shareholder status is around 6,000 companies. The employee shareholder status is a new employment status that is optional for companies to use. Therefore, take-up estimates of this new and voluntary status are uncertain.
	Detailed background of the above figure can be found in the impact assessment published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in December 2012.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/68907/12-1350-growth-and-Infrastructure-Bill-Clause-Impact.pdf

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Nia Griffith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider using EU Emissions Trading Scheme revenues to fund research, development and innovation projects in the steel sector.

David Gauke: The Government's spending priorities are not, in general, determined by the way in which the money is raised. Revenues raised from the auctioning of EU Emissions Trading System allowances are used to fund general expenditure. Assigning individual revenue streams to fund specific spending programmes reduces Government's flexibility to manage the public finances efficiently, reducing value for money for taxpayers.
	At autumn statement 2011 the Chancellor of the Exchequer also announced a package of measures worth £250 million to help energy-intensive industries adjust to the low-carbon transformation while remaining competitive. This package was extended to 2015-16 at Budget 2013. It includes compensation for the indirect costs of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

European Commission

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many visits the Permanent Secretary and the four next most senior civil servants in his Department made to the European Commission in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: Officials make a number of visits during the year to European institutions in Brussels/ including the European Commission, as a matter of course for Treasury business.

Income Tax: Scotland

Michael Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many residents in Scotland paid the 20p income tax rate in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how much income tax did not accrue to the Exchequer from taxpayers resident in Scotland due to changes in the base rate in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and what estimate he has made of such figures in 2013-14.

David Gauke: Estimates of the number of taxpayers by region and country are published in HMRC's National Statistics table 2.2 which is available on the internet at the following address:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-2.pdf
	The number of taxpayers in Scotland is shown at the bottom of page 3. The estimate of those liable at the basic rate of 20p on earnings is shown in column 4.
	There were no changes to the basic rate of income tax during 2011-12, 2012-13, or 2013-14.

International Monetary Fund: World Bank

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is on proposals to merge the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Sajid Javid: The Government supports the work of the IMF and the World Bank to ensure stability in the international system and to promote economic development. The IMF and World Bank already work closely together in areas of shared responsibility. While the Government supports the need for effective coordination between the two institutions, there are no active policy discussions to merge the two institutions.

International Monetary System

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on securing the adoption of the International Monetary Fund Special Drawing Right as the principal reserve assets in the international monetary system; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The current purpose of Special Drawing Rights is to supplement member countries' official reserves, and there are no active policy discussions aimed at promoting SDRs as the principle official reserve asset. The composition of reserve assets are a matter for individual countries.

Mortgages

Nigel Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many mortgages have (a) been applied for, (b) been agreed in principle and (c) been refused in (i) Ribble Valley constituency, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) the UK in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: The Government does not collect or publish data on mortgages that have been applied for, been agreed in principle, or been refused. A number of organisations including the Bank of England, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the Council of Mortgage Lenders collect data on mortgages, which they make available publically.

Overseas Residence: Landlords

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the total liability of non-UK resident landlords to the Exchequer; and what proportion of this figure was collected by HM Revenue and Customs in the most recent tax year;
	(2)  how many non-UK resident landlords are registered with HM Revenue and Customs under his Department's non-resident landlord scheme;
	(3)  how many non-UK resident landlords have registered with HM Revenue and Customs under his Department's non-resident landlord scheme in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(4)  how much revenue the Exchequer has received in income tax payments from non-UK resident landlords in each of the last five years;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the number of non-UK resident landlords who let property in the UK.

David Gauke: All tax liabilities for participants in the non resident landlord scheme are reported and collected via the self assessment (SA) system. The data requested under questions 174687and 174692 could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	There are 537,237 live records for NRLs, which is broken down into 509,833 individuals, 24,972 companies and 2,432 trusts.
	The number of applications, which will vary slightly from the actual number that are registered, that have been made to HMRC for the NRL scheme for the last five tax years are:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008-09 37,400 
			 2009-10 32,600 
			 2010-11 37,477 
			 2011-12 42,693 
			 2012-13 38,385

Revenue and Customs

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that people and businesses who have their tax affairs formally investigated by HM Revenue and Customs and are not found to have breached the rules do not pay the costs of such investigations; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HMRC is responsible for the collection and management of the taxes it administers. HMRC carries out checks into returns to make sure that taxpayers are paying the right amount of tax at the right time and receiving the right allowances and tax reliefs. HMRC does not reimburse the normal day to day costs people incur in complying with their legal obligations. This includes the cost of normal communications, of clarifying or verifying matters, and preparing returns and the costs arising from inquiries and interventions. HMRC has no plans to change these arrangements.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the number of people who have incurred charges from energy companies when they choose to move to another supplier; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not hold information on the number of people who have incurred charges from energy companies when they choose to move to another supplier.

Energy Companies Obligation

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received from energy companies regarding the cost to them of the Energy Companies Obligation.

Gregory Barker: The Department has regular monthly meetings with all obligated energy suppliers about their costs of delivery and we are committed to the ongoing monitoring of the actual costs of ECO. Initial estimates made by my Department indicate that the ECO can be delivered at around the estimated cost shown in last year's impact assessment.
	The Department recently published an analytical paper on Energy Company Obligation (ECO) delivery costs, available here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-company-obligation-eco-delivery-costs

Energy: Conservation

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to improve the energy efficiency of low-income households.

Gregory Barker: Improving the energy efficiency of low income households is a priority. In July this year, the Government announced its intention to adopt a new fuel poverty target focused on improving energy efficiency standards in fuel poor homes.
	Our main policy for improving energy efficiency standards is the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation. Under the Energy Company Obligation, we expect to provide assistance to 230,000 low income households per year, representing expenditure worth £540 million per year. Delivery data for ECO, which has been operational since January 2013, show that more than 167,000 energy efficiency and heating measures have already been installed under the Affordable Warmth and Carbon Saving Communities elements of the scheme. This includes more than 60,000 new boilers in low income households.
	Households wishing to access support through ECO can call the Energy Saving Advice Service (ESAS) on 0300 123 1234. A referral system is in place to ensure that those eligible for Affordable Warmth support can access a minimum package of support from an energy supplier. To date, nearly 23,000 such referrals have been made.

EU Institutions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many visits Ministers from his Department made to either the European Commission or the European Parliament in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: During 2013, to date, a total of five visits have been made by Ministers from the Department of Energy and Climate Change to the European Commission.
	The information for the years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 is not held centrally, and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Fuel Poverty

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effects of the Government's amendments to the Energy Bill on levels of fuel poverty.

Gregory Barker: The Government's amendments to the Energy Bill will amend the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act and place a duty on the Government to put in place a new target to tackle fuel poverty in England and publish a strategy to achieve that target. The strategy will set out the new definition of fuel poverty. Under this definition, there were 2.4 million households in fuel poverty in England in 2011.

Fuel Poverty

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will produce a new definition of fuel poverty that captures all households.

Gregory Barker: In July this year the Government announced its intention to adopt a new definition of fuel poverty, moving away from the 10% indicator of fuel poverty that Professor Hills' review of fuel poverty found to be flawed and focusing instead on those who have a low income and high energy costs (LIHC). In England, in 2011, there were 2.4 million households in fuel poverty under the LIHC indicator.

Green Deal Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on marketing the Green Deal to date; and how many Green Deal measures have been installed to date.

Gregory Barker: Departmental expenditure on marketing campaigns and communications material for the Green Deal programme from April 2011 to end July 2013 was £3.74 million (including VAT). Around 300,000 measures have been installed through energy efficiency schemes to end of September.

Green Deal Scheme: Liverpool

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Green Deal apprentices in the Liverpool city region have (a) begun and (b) completed their training to date.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not hold this information.

Renewable Energy

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Energy Bill on providing incentives for businesses to invest in low carbon generation in the UK.

Gregory Barker: The Energy Bill will implement Contracts for Difference (CfDs), which will provide a stable financial incentive scheme for low-carbon electricity development. CfDs provide low-carbon generators with a robust private-law contract and largely remove their exposure to the volatile wholesale price, bringing greater certainty for investors and bringing forward investment at lower cost to consumers.
	CfDs will help incentivise the estimated £110 billion of investment needed in electricity infrastructure in the period to 2020 alone.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Totnes of 9 July 2013, Official Report, column 193W, on land use: agriculture, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of conflict between planning applications for onshore wind infrastructure and those parts of the National Planning Policy Framework which underline the recognition of the character and beauty of the countryside.

Gregory Barker: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley (Kris Hopkins), on 6 November, 2013, Official Report, column 214W.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Climate Change

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding National Climate Change Capability received in each year since 2008; and how much funding he estimates it will receive in each year up to 2015.

David Willetts: The figures in the following table represent the total spend since 2008 and estimated spend up to 2015:
	
		
			 NERC's Climate System grants and programmes 
			  Programme resource (£ million) 
			 2008-09 56 
			 2009-10 55 
			 2010-11 58 
			 2011-12 59 
			 2012-13 57 
			 2013-14 (Budgeted) 58 
			 2014-15 (Budgeted) 58 
		
	
	National Capability funding from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is as follows:
	
		
			 DECC expenditure on National Climate Change Capability, science-related R&D work 
			  Programme resource (£ million) 
			 2008-09 12.1 
			 2009-10 13.2 
			 2010-11 19.5 
			 2011-12 30.0 
			 2012-13 19.3 
			 2013-14 (Budgeted) 78.9 
			 2014-15 (Budgeted) 18.0 
		
	
	The R&D science projects included in the DECC expenditure estimates include, for example, the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme and the AVOID (Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change) Programme.

Education: Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many hours a week of education services (a) have been contracted to be and (b) have been delivered in each prison in England and Wales in each month since May 2010.

Matthew Hancock: I am replying as Minister responsible for prison education in England.
	I have asked the interim Chief Executive of Skills Funding to write to the right hon. Member with details of prison education services that have been contracted and delivered in England, and I will place a copy of that letter in the Libraries of the House.
	In Wales, education in the public sector prisons is delivered through funding from the Welsh Government.

Education: Prisons

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many hours a week providers are contracted to deliver education services in each prison in England and Wales.

Matthew Hancock: I am replying as Minister responsible for prison education in England.
	The latest round of prison education contracts let by the Skills Funding Agency do not require providers to deliver a specific number of hours. Instead, contractors are commissioned to deliver a curriculum that is determined at prison level by prison Governors, working in partnership, with payment based on completion and achievement by prisoner learners.
	In Wales, education in the public sector prisons is delivered through funding from the Welsh Government.

Engineering

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which recommendations in Professor John Perkins' review of engineering skills published in November 2013 he has accepted; and what arrangements he is making for their implementation.

Matthew Hancock: I warmly welcome Professor Perkins' review. Engineering has a vital role to play in the future of UK industry. It is important that we act now to ensure businesses have access to the skills they require to enable them to grow: this is a long-term challenge that requires action by Government, but also by employers, educators and the engineering profession.
	In support of Professor Perkins' recommendations, on 4 November the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced £18 million for a new elite training facility at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, and up to £30 million for a call in the new year for innovative proposals from employers to develop engineering skills in sectors suffering acute shortages. We are providing funding of £250,000 for Tomorrow's Engineers to accelerate a nationwide rollout of an employer engagement programme, so that young people can lean about engineering from engineers themselves, and £45,000 for the Daphne Jackson Trust to develop their fellowship model to support people returning to professional engineering after a career break.
	The Government will play its part, but we are also calling on employers, educators and the engineering profession to work together, to inspire the next generation of engineers and make sure they have the cutting edge skills they will need to compete in the economy of the future.

Higher Education: Admissions

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the recent trends in the number of students from the most deprived backgrounds (a)  applying to and (b) being accepted by (i) Oxford and Cambridge and (ii) other Russell Group universities.

David Willetts: The latest information for Russell Group institutions is shown in the table. Comparable data for 2013 will not be available from UCAS until January 2014. Figures for Oxford and Cambridge universities are not available centrally. UCAS does not routinely release data for individual institutions at this level of detail. UCAS is an organisation independent of Government.
	Cambridge has released information on their website showing the social background of their students using HEFCE's POLAR measure at:
	http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/publications/docs/admissionsstatistics2012.pdf
	Oxford has released data based on residual household income at:
	http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/facts_and_figures/undergraduate_admissions_statistics/household_income_and.html
	
		
			  Year of entry 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 All applications(1) 2,388,659 2,722,780 2,847,809 2,636,963 
			 Applications(1) to Russell Group(2) 656,382 691,378 676,747 645,983 
			 Of which:     
			 From disadvantaged backgrounds(3) 41,520 45,290 44,006 40,790 
			      
			 All accepted applicants 481,854 487,329 492,030 464,910 
			 Accepted applicants to Russell Group(2) 93,492 92,260 90,121 91,604 
			 Of which:     
			 From disadvantaged backgrounds(3) 5,298 5,218 4,957 5,048 
			 (1) Each applicant can submit up to five applications. (2) Includes the 20 universities who were Russell Group members in 2012. (3) This covers students from areas with the lowest levels of participation in higher education, as defined by HEFCE's POLAR2 classification. Source: UCAS

Overseas Students

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the income received by UK universities from international students in each of the last five years.

David Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) publishes data on the sources of income for all publicly-funded higher education institutions in the UK on an annual basis. The latest available data cover the 2011-12 academic year and was published on 7 March 2013:
	http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2712&ltemid=161
	The following table shows the fee income received by all publicly-funded UK higher education institutions from international students over the past five years. This includes income from both EU and non-EU students.
	
		
			 Table 1: Fee income from international students 
			  Income (£ billion) 
			 2007-08 2.1 
			 2008-09 2.5 
			 2009-10 2.9 
			 2010-11 3.3 
			 2011-12 3.6 
			 Notes: 1. These figures use the latest available HESA Finance Record. 2. Non-EU fee income is taken directly from HESA. EU fee income has been estimated based on fee income from UK and EU students and the equivalent student numbers. Data for 2012-13 will be published by HESA in March 2014. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest £100 million. 
		
	
	BIS recently published ‘Privately funded providers of higher education in the UK’ (BIS Research Paper 111, June 2013). Findings from this research indicate that international students paid a further £270 million to alternative providers in 2011-12. However, data on alternative providers are not available for earlier years.

Overseas Students

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the value to the economy of international students studying in the UK.

David Willetts: Analysis undertaken for the International Education Strategy estimated that international students studying in the UK contributed £13.5 billion to the UK economy in 2011. This figure includes estimates of both fee income and living expenses from students studying at school, further education and higher education level, as well as from those studying English language courses in the UK. The strategy was published in July 2013 and can be found at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-growth-and-prosperity
	International students also bring wider benefit to the UK through the longer-term business, research, social and other links that can follow study, strengthening the UK's influence and the way we are viewed internationally. However, the monetary value of these wider benefits cannot easily be estimated.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with Post Office Limited on the progress of the Post Office Locals Transformation plan; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Government is providing £1.34 billion this Parliament to maintain a Post Office network of at least 11,500 branches, and to modernise thousands of branches under the Crown and Network Transformation programmes. Officials and I both hold regular discussions with senior management of Post Office Ltd on a wide range of matters, including the Network Transformation programme. As of 1 November 2013, 698 branches had signed binding contracts to convert to the Local operating model, with 507 having already converted. In total, at the same date, 2,113 branches have signed contracts to convert under the modernisation programmes, with 1,274 having converted.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 22 October 2012, Official Report, column 369W, on Afghanistan, how many incidents of civilian casualties have been reported to UK forces to investigate in Afghanistan to date.

Mark Francois: I have nothing further to add to the reply given by the previous Minister for the Armed Forces, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Leicestershire (Mr Robathan), on 17 December 2012, Official Report, column 601W.

Afghanistan

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2013, Official Report, column 494W, on Afghanistan, how many ex-gratia payments have been made in Afghanistan, by (a) location, (b) type of incident and (c) amount, since 31 May 2013.

Mark Francois: A further 175 payments amounting to £198,621 have been made to Afghan civilians in the period from 31 May 2013 to 31 October 2013. As before payments have been made in respect of deaths, road traffic injuries, other injuries, crop damage, and other property damage, occurring within Helmand Province and in Kabul.

Aircraft Carriers

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the cost to completion of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers.

Philip Dunne: As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 251-254, following the agreement of a new Heads of Terms for the aircraft carrier programme between the Ministry of Defence and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the programme has been rebaselined at £6.2 billion.

Aircraft Carriers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate how much the contract overruns in the Aircraft Carrier Alliance cost the public purse to date.

Philip Dunne: The Major Project Report 2012 reported the cost of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers at £5.46 billion. As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 251-254, following agreement of a new Heads of Terms for the programme between the Ministry of Defence and the Aircraft Carrier Alliance, the programme has been rebaselined at £6.2 billion. The original (2009) approval for the programme under the previous Administration was £3.6 billion.

Aircraft Carriers

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Heads of Terms signed with the Aircraft Carrier Alliance.

Philip Dunne: As we are yet to finalise formal contracts, I am withholding this information at this time, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Aircraft Carriers: Portsmouth

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to decide on the infrastructure needed for the two new aircraft carriers to be based in Portsmouth; and when he expects the work for that infrastructure to commence.

Philip Dunne: Preparing Portsmouth for the arrival of the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers involves significant new investment in the naval base, including the dredging of the harbour and its approach, the strengthening of jetties, installing new power supplies and other infrastructure changes. This work has already commenced and will continue to expand. To support this level of activity, the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), announced on 6 November 2013, Official Report, column 251-254, an investment of more than £100 million, over the next three years, in new infrastructure in Portsmouth to ensure that the carriers can be properly maintained and supported. The initial capability will be completed in time for the arrival of the first of class, HMS Queen Elizabeth, at her home port.
	Depending on the outcome of the strategic defence and security review in 2015, which will consider the deployment of the second vessel, preparatory work is expected to continue until the end of the decade. Based on the revised programme agreed between the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems HMS Queen Elizabeth is due to enter Portsmouth in early 2017.

Devonport Dockyard

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are employed in each service in HMNB Devonport.

Philip Dunne: UK regular forces stationed at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport on 1 July 2013 comprised 4,530 naval service and 10 Army personnel. This figure includes naval service personnel on sea service, where Devonport is the home port of their ship.

Military Exercises

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets and how many personnel are taking part in Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of this exercise.

Mark Francois: holding answer 7 November 2013
	The UK national contribution to Exercise Steadfast Jazz 2013 is the naval vessel HMS Ledbury and 52 Royal Navy personnel. The total estimated cost is £56,000. This cost includes travel and subsistence, fuel and port visit costs but excludes any manpower, asset or equipment costs.

Patrol Craft

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreement in principle for three offshore patrol vessels with BAE Systems.

Philip Dunne: As we are yet to finalise formal contracts, I am withholding this information at this time, as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Rescue Services: International Cooperation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions since 10 March 2012 the Government received a request for assistance from a neighbouring state under section 3.1 of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue; and which search and rescue assets provided assistance on each such occasion.

Mark Francois: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for North Devon (Sir Nick Harvey), on 19 March 2012, Official Report, column 466W, and 23 November 2010, Official Report, column 255W.
	Since 10 March 2012 the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre has had no direct requests for assistance from any neighbouring states.

Rescue Services: International Cooperation

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times his Department has provided top-cover fixed wing search and rescue assets for a search and rescue mission in each of the last three years; and what aircraft were used in each case.

Mark Francois: Information on the occasions when Ministry of Defence (MOD) aircraft have provided top-cover fixed wing search and rescue (SAR) assets in the last three years is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Aircraft type Number of SAR missions 
			 2011 E3-D Sentry 1 
			 2012 E3-D Sentry 1 
			 2013(1) None 0 
			 (1) To 4 November 2013 
		
	
	Aircraft provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or overseas Governments may also be tasked by MOD to participate in rescue missions.

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

David Nuttall: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel who have been made redundant from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers since 2010 have since joined the Army Reserve.

Mark Francois: holding answer 7 November 2013
	In accordance with Government statistics policy, I can inform my hon. Friend that fewer than five personnel who have been made redundant from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers since 2010 have since joined the Army Reserve. The battalion has yet to be disbanded, but will be removed from the Order of Battle in the coming months.

Sweden

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets Sweden has offered to the NATO Response Force for upcoming rotations.

Mark Francois: The UK welcomes Sweden's offer of forces to the next four iterations of the NATO Response Force (2014-17). However, declaration of precise force elements is a matter for the Government of Sweden.

CABINET OFFICE

Housing: Prices

Nigel Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average house price was in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average house price was in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) the UK in each of the last five years (174763).
	ONS does not produce house price data below a regional level. Figures available for the UK are shown in table 1 below for each year from 2008 to 2012.
	
		
			 Table 1: Simple average house prices for the United Kingdom 2008 to 2012 
			 Year Simple average house price: UK(1,2 )(£) 
			 2008 228,000 
			 2009 226,000 
			 2010 251,000 
			 2011 245,000 
			 2012 246,000 
			 (1) Simple average house prices taken from table 31 of the ONS annual House Price Index reference table. (2) Prices rounded to nearest £1,000

Working Hours

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of UK workers worked more than 48 hours per week in each of the last 30 years for which information is available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated November 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for work and pensions what proportion of UK workers worked more than 48 hours per week in each of the last 30 years for which information is available. 174416
	Information regarding people working more than 48 hours per week is not available seasonally adjusted from the Labour Force Survey. Seasonally adjusted estimates are only available for an upper band of 45 hours or more.
	Seasonally adjusted estimates provide the most accurate measure of hours worked over time; and therefore the number & proportion of UK workers working more than 45 hours per week have been provided in the table. Estimates for the last 30 years are not available but have been provided since 1992.
	Estimates of hours worked are published monthly as part of the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin, found via the following link:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/index.html
	
		
			 Usual weekly hours of work. April to June, each year, 1992 to 2013. Seasonally adjusted 
			 Thousand and percentage 
			   Less than 6 hours 6 up to 15 hours 16 up to 30 hours 31 up to 45 hours Over 45 hours 
			  All in employment Level % of total Level % of total Level % of total Level % of total Level % of total 
			 1992 25,605 491 1.9 2,097 8.2 3,467 13.5 13,351 52.1 6,198 24.2 
			 1993 25,293 536 2.1 2,011 8.0 3,568 14.1 12,977 51.3 6,201 24.5 
			 1994 25,451 501 2.0 2,097 8.2 3,648 14.3 12,768 50.2 6,437 25.3 
			 1995 25,770 535 2.1 2,097 8.1 3,686 14.3 12,823 49.8 6,630 25.7 
			 1996 26,009 537 2.1 2,139 8.2 3,881 14.9 12,693 48.8 6,759 26.0 
			 1997 26,514 509 1.9 2,163 8.2 4,044 15.3 12,915 48.7 6,883 26.0 
			 1998 26,714 500 1.9 2,138 8.0 4,149 15.5 13,085 49.0 6,842 25.6 
			 1999 27,095 496 1.8 2,121 7.8 4,287 15.8 13,604 50.2 6,587 24.3 
			 2000 27,468 459 1.7 2,155 7.8 4,408 16.0 13,796 50.2 6,650 24.2 
			 2001 27,707 421 1.5 2,032 7.3 4,558 16.5 14,071 50.8 6,625 23.9 
			 2002 27,911 409 1.5 2,045 7.3 4,728 16.9 14,286 51.2 6,443 23.1 
			 2003 28,188 426 1.5 2,112 7.5 4,855 17.2 14,509 51.5 6,286 22.3 
			 2004 28,425 425 1.5 2,078 7.3 5,004 17.6 14,834 52.2 6,084 21.4 
			 2005 28,726 421 1.5 2,037 7.1 5,074 17.7 15,162 52.8 6,032 21.0 
			 2006 28,999 416 1.4 2.062 7.1 5,101 17.6 15,450 53.3 5,970 20.6 
			 2007 29,178 418 1.4 2,017 6.9 5,166 17.7 15,520 53.2 6,057 20.8 
			 2008 29,536 435 1.5 1,982 6.7 5,289 17.9 15,792 53.5 6,038 20.4 
			 2009 28,900 453 1.6 2,007 6.9 5,468 18.9 15,468 53.5 5,504 19.0 
			 2010 28,975 423 1.5 2,034 7.0 5,673 19.6 15,274 52.7 5,570 19.2 
			 2011 29,224 478 1.6 1,968 6.7 5,797 19.8 15,410 52.7 5,571 19.1 
			 2012 29,476 471 1.6 2,054 7.0 5,939 20.1 15,253 51.7 5,758 19.5 
			 2013 29,777 450 1.5 2,056 6.9 5,976 20.1 15,424 51.8 5,870 19.7 
			 Note: Total usual weekly hours worked by people aged 16 and over in main job including paid and unpaid overtime. Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS)

TRANSPORT

Cycling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department holds on how many cycling officers were employed by local authorities in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013.

Robert Goodwill: The Department does not hold these figures.
	Local authorities employ staff that work on cycling in consideration of their wider transport strategy and staffing resources.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written answer dated 29 October 2013, Official Report, columns 455-7W, on employment and support allowance, how many sustained job outcomes had been achieved by claimants on the Work programme in each ICD disease code by February 2013.

Esther McVey: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of Work programme job outcomes for claimants in each of the main diagnosis groups for those in the employment support allowance (ESA) payment groups: 1 June 2011-28 February 2013 
			  Job outcomes 
			 ESA customer groups total 4,140 
			 Other/Missing 100 
			 Symptoms, Signs and Abnormal Clinical and Laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 490 
			 Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Puerperium 10 
			 Diseases of the Skin and Subcutaneous System 30 
			 Certain Infectious and Parasitic Diseases 40 
			 Mental and Behavioural Disorders 1,790 
			 Diseases of the Genitourinary System 70 
			 Factors influencing Health Status and Contact with Health Services 30 
			 Diseases of the Blood and Blood forming organs and certain diseases involving the immune mechanism 10 
			 Diseases of the Digestive System 90 
			 Diseases of the Circulatory System 130 
			 Injury, Poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes 520 
			 Diseases of the Musculoskeletal system and Connective Tissue 540 
			 Diseases of the Respiratory System 40 
			 Diseases of the Nervous System 140 
			 Diseases of the Eye and Adnexa 10 
			 Neoplasms 90 
			 Diseases of the Ear and Mastoid Process 10 
			 Endocrine, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases 30 
			 Congenital Malformations, Deformations and Chromasomal Abnormalities — 
		
	
	
		
			 Certain Conditions Originating in the Perinatal Period —

Employment: Autism

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department is working with employer organisations to promote employment of people with autism.

Michael Penning: The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring that all disabled people, including those with autism, have the opportunities, chances and support that they need to get a job and remain in employment and there is a range of provision to help them. Employers are key to the Department's aim to increase the numbers of disabled people who enter and remain and progress in employment. Many of the Department's existing programmes include support for employers to enable employment of disabled people, with a number of specific initiatives which are specifically beneficial for people with autism.
	Under the Autism Strategy, led by the Department of Health, the Department for Work and Pensions had several commitments in relation to autism and employment. The Department's Ministers are very committed to the autism strategy. Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform, is passionately committed and set up a Round Table group with employers to look at this. Working with the National Autistic Society and others, this work included the publication of ‘Untapped Talent’, a guide to spread the benefits of employing someone with autism.
	Progress has been made on delivering the commitments from the strategy, through both mainstream services and through a suite of additional specialist employment services. We will continue to explore the best ways for the Department to support the aims of the autism strategy and contribute to ongoing initiatives.
	We made a commitment to engage with employers and help them in overcoming the barriers they face in employing people with autism. In partnership with employers, the Department held a ground breaking conference on 18 July 2013 at which the Prime Minister launched the two-year Disability Confident Campaign. The campaign aims to remove barriers, increase understanding and make sure that disabled people and those with health conditions have the opportunities to realise their potential. We are holding a number of further events across the country, where employers can learn from each other about employing disabled people. The first event is in Birmingham on 21 November. We are doing this in partnership with business and will provide campaign materials for employers and organisations to use. Some employers are already aware of the particular strengths of employing people with autism for certain tasks, the challenge is to expand this knowledge and to a wider range of employers.
	The Department also committed to ensure that our employment programmes work for young disabled people with autism and that the support they are offered meets their specific needs. One of the key programmes is Access to Work. Access to Work gives additional support for individuals whose health or disability affects the way they do their job. It provides individuals and their employers with advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of an individual's needs. Access to Work is now available to support young disabled people undertaking voluntary work experience under the Youth Contract offering a job coach through the programme. We are extending Access to Work to provide more pre-employment activities such as work experience and Supported Internships, which will help young disabled people for whom traditional recruitment methods do not always work to showcase their talents to employers.
	The Department for Work and Pensions is currently developing a new strategy for disability employment which will be published before the end of this year. The strategy will set out actions to improve the position of disabled people in the labour market and to support disabled people prepare for, get into, stay in and progress in work. In developing the strategy we are building on what disabled people told us about employment issues during the ‘Fulfilling Potential’ discussion, which can be found here:
	http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/docs/fulfilling-potential/fulfilling-potential-discussion-so-far.pdf
	as well as working with disabled people, employers, disability charities, ambassadors from disabled people user led organisations (DPULO) and other experts.

Food Banks

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many food banks there were in the UK in (a) 2007 and (b) 2010; and how many there were on the latest date for which figures are available.

Esther McVey: Food banks do not form part of the benefit system and DWP does not hold data on their numbers.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in which Jobcentre Plus (a) districts and (b) offices lone parent advisers operate.

Esther McVey: We provide services to lone parents through all of our jobcentres.

Jobcentre Plus

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parent advisers were working for Jobcentre Plus in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012.

Michael Penning: The number of lone parent advisers working in Jobcentre Plus during the requested periods was as follows:
	
		
			  Total FTE staff 
			 2008-09 1,971 
			 2009-10 1,916 
			 2010-11 1,620 
			 2011-12 n/a 
			 2012-13 n/a 
		
	
	Data for 2011-12 and 2012-13 is not available and could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
	From 2011-12 the income support (IS) advice category includes all IS advisers, which would include carers, therefore lone parent adviser activity cannot be separately identified.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of people claiming jobseeker's allowance were sanctioned resulting in the loss of benefit in each constituency in the UK (a) in 2012-13 and (b) to date in the current financial year.

Esther McVey: The information requested for (a) 2012-13, is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The information requested for (b) the current financial year up to June 2013, is not readily available. It is feasible to provide the statistics but this will take some time. I will write to the hon. Member when they become available.
	Statistics for Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Department for Social Development and can be found at:
	http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research.htm

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10, (d) 2010-11, (e) 2011-12 and (f) 2012-13.

Steve Webb: Annual expenditure on Support for Mortgage Interest, from 2007-08 to 2012-13, is provided in the following table:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Support for Mortgage Interest Nominal (cash) Real terms (2013-14 prices) 
			 2007-08 outturn 430 488 
			 2008-09 outturn 437 483 
			 2009-10 outturn 561 610 
			 2010-11 outturn 511 541 
			 2011-12 outturn 368 381 
			 2012-13 estimate 385 393 
			 Source: DWP benefit expenditure tables; Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables; Medium Term Forecasts for all DWP benefits table 3a and 3b which can be found via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to respond to the consultation Support for Mortgage Interest launched in December 2011.

Steve Webb: We have no plans to publish a formal response to the Call for Evidence on support for mortgage interest. We said in the Call for Evidence that we would consider the responses carefully in developing policy proposals.
	The most radical proposition in the Call for Evidence was that, in the longer term, we would look to recover payments for mortgage interest from equity when the property is sold, effectively turning the support from a benefit into a loan. This would ensure that we continue to support people to remain in their homes but in a way that provides better value for money for the taxpayer. A majority of respondents to the Call for Evidence indicated their support for this proposal.
	Details of how a proposed scheme would operate will be announced in due course.

Pensions

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's announcement entitled, Don't Lose Out on Your UK pension or benefit payments”, published on 17 October 2013, what steps he has taken to prevent the fraudulent use of the information which his Department will require to illicitly acquire personal bank account and bank identification code details from UK citizens living overseas.

Steve Webb: The Department takes its responsibilities to protect personal data extremely seriously. British expatriates who are currently receiving pensions and benefits are being contacted by the Department to confirm their international bank details so as to comply with new EU-wide regulations coming into force next year which aim to make payments between member states faster and more secure.
	The Department already holds the relevant data for the vast majority of existing claimants. In a minority of cases, the Department has written to the affected individuals and has asked for the information to be sent by post or telephone directly to the Department.
	Because the data is being collected in this secure manner, there is no question of third parties being able to obtain this information by illicit means, or to use it for fraudulent purposes.

Social Rented Housing: Housing Benefit

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) disabled people and (b) single parents he expects to be affected by the under-occupancy penalty in each region of the UK.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available, as sample sizes are too small to provide a reliable estimate of these sub categories at a regional level.
	The estimated number of disabled people affected in Great Britain is 420,000. Disabled people are defined in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act.
	The estimated number of single parents, under 60, affected in Great Britain is 150,000.
	These figures are available in the equality impact assessment at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/174973/eia-social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011.pdf

Social Security Benefits

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the benefit sanctions introduced under the Jobseekers (Back to Work) scheme 2013.

Esther McVey: Under the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Act 2013, Matthew Oakley has been appointed to carry out an independent report into the operation of benefit sanctions. He will present his report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions as soon as reasonably practicable after the 26 March 2014.

Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the pilot offering employment and support allowance applicants the option to have their work capability assessments audio recorded will end; and when an evaluation report of this pilot will be published.

Michael Penning: There are no plans to change current audio recording arrangements until after results of the evaluation are completed and published.
	A revised form, informing claimants about audio recording, went live from the start of August and as part of its evaluation the Department is currently assessing the impact this has had. This has meant that it has been necessary to further extend the evaluation period which will now run until the end of the year, with a report due thereafter.